PSNI data breach suspect denied Benidorm trip

A man charged with terrorism offences linked to a major police data breach has been told he cannot go on a week-long holiday to Benidorm.

The High Court ruled against Christopher O'Kane's suggestion he should be allowed to go to Spain with his family on human rights grounds.

The 51-year-old is accused of having a spreadsheet containing the names of every member of the force.

Mr O'Kane of Main Street, Feeny, County Londonderry is currently on bail.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) data breach happened in August, when police released the names of more than 10,000 staff and officers by mistake.

Mr O'Kane was arrested on 18 August following a search of his home.

He is accused of possessing two mobile phones for the purposes of preparing terrorist acts and having information likely to be useful to terrorists - namely the spreadsheet of names.

At a previous hearing, prosecutors claimed he had tried to conceal one phone, with a second located under a bedroom pillow.

Examinations found the spreadsheet of names had been sent to one of the devices by WhatsApp and was downloaded before the message was later deleted.

The accused then allegedly accessed a website used to search for home addresses.

'Making memories'

Mr O'Kane was described as a "computer geek", with defence lawyers arguing he wrongly became a suspect due to his Irish republican affiliations.

He was granted bail with strict conditions, including being prohibited from accessing the internet and abiding by a curfew.

However the defendant asked for a relaxation in bail conditions so he could go on the Spanish family holiday later this year.

The prosecution opposed the application, arguing his release conditions could not be managed while abroad.

Defence barrister Sean Mullan said the trip had been booked in early 2023, and cited Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights as Mr O'Kane talked about "making memories" with his grandchildren alongside his partner.

Mr Justice Kinney said he was not satisfied the merits of the holiday outweighed the risks posed by Mr O'Kane.